Cultivating Authenticity
Many years before I came to the Science of Mind teaching, I had a bit of an epiphany about how I was choosing to show up in life.
I noticed that I had many friends, but they were all in little protective bubbles. I had my work friends, my old friends from my high school days, my party friends, my gay friends, my spiritual/new age friends, and my intellectual/arty friends.
These groups rarely co-mingled, not because they didn’t want to, but because I didn’t want them to. I was well-practiced in the fine art of keeping the various aspects of myself safe and separate, for fear of judgments.
Shortly before I found Science of Mind, I began to realize that this had all become too much to manage. That really what I wanted was to find my “authentic” self, so that I could show up as me no matter where I went.
The biggest hurdle was to find my way into falling in love with myself, while also loving the world around me.
Could I really embrace the idea that by simply being here on this planet, I alone, as me, was “enough”?
As I tiptoed through this concept, I refined it year after year. I leaned into being vulnerable, revealing my spiritual nature slowly so as not to freak people out. I played with colouring my hair crazy colours, and then played with not colouring it at all. I got my nose pierced which felt like a true declaration of self. I started to write about what I really believed and began to practice in earnest prayer, journaling, and later, meditation and visioning.
What I learned was that authenticity comes from within. It’s this inner self-acceptance that grows over time, until we reach our “ripe” years. Some of us get here sooner, others later, but it’s always on time.
As I’ve continued this journey, the latest realization I’ve had is that when I believe and declare that “I am enough”, it gives me the ability to believe that everyone else is enough as well. This in turn helps me see the world around me with eyes of love and compassion.
When I am enough, my slow days are simply my slow days, my fast day become fast days. When I see others as enough, my ego mind falls away and I can see myself in the other. Learning, growing, standing, falling. Living life as an individual expression of “enough”.
Learning to boldly be my authentic self is one of the most courageous things I’ve done, and it’s brought huge gifts.
I believe that when we all live our lives from a place of giving from our authentic selves, we allow space for something new to be born. The more we choose to be in service to the world from this place of our inner sanctum, the closer we are to creating a world that works for everyone.
Peace and blessings,
Rev. Karin
If you missed yesterday’s Sunday Celebration titled Your Journey into Your Destiny, you can watch the replay and other past services on the CSLK YouTube channel.
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